Broadcast receivers



1959 R. J. WHlPPLE ET AL 7 BROADCAST RECEIVERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 2'7, 1956 I 76. ya.

n w M United States Patent 6 i 2,872,677 BROADCAST RECEIVERS Richard J. Whipple, Abington, and Henry E. Bowes, Wync ote, Pa., assignors to Philco Corporation, Philadelphla, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 27, 1956, Serial 0. 630,779 10 Claims. (or. 343-702 design as well as being simple and efiective in operation.

A specific object is to improve the effectiveness of antenna operation as to the adjustment of dipole arms and as to the stability of retention of adjustment, once established.

The manner in which these and other objects have been achieved will best be explained in connection with the detailed description of a preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the, drawing appended'hereto.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portable .television set including a handle antenna according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the handle antenna, shown as removed from the set, with slidable antenna rods retracted therein and with a slidably installed carrying strap likewise retracted. Figure 3 is a section taken along line 33 in Figure 2, with the carrying strap removed. Figure 4 is a plan view of the handle of Figure 2, with an upper part of said handle removed. Figure 5 is a fragmentary bottom view of said upper part. Figure 6 is a fragmentary section taken along line 6--6 in Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the set of Figure 1. Figure 8 is an exploded, perspective, fragmentary view of parts also shown in Figures 4 and 5, with small interior parts removed. Figure 9a shows the parts of Figure 8, assembled and completed, the view being similar to that of Figure 6 but omitting certain parts and showing mainly the interior equipment. Figure 9b is a view generally similar to Figure 9a but showing the interior equipment in a different position thereof. Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view of said interior equipment of Figures 9a and 9b, in a position similar to that of Figure 9a. A

As shown in Figure 1, the antenna handle structure is mounted on a panel 22 forming an upper part ofthe shell of a portable television receiving set 24. The set of course has a suitable screen 26 and controls 28, 30.

for turning the power on and ofi and tuning the audio and video elements.

The antenna, forming part of the unit 20, contains a pair of metallic telescoping dipole rods or arms 32, 34 which per se may be of well known design. According to the invention said arms are movably mounted in a 2,872,677 Patented Feb. 3,1959

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. shells being fitted together in the approximate way in which the body and the lid of an elongated box are fre-v quently combined. The lower body portion 40 includes,

as a central integral part downwardly extending therefrom, a stem or pivot member 44, the lower portion 46 of which is shown as having threads on the outside thereof.

This threaded portion '46 is desirably rigidly locked into a central part of a spring washer 48, shown in Figure 4 and which in turn has controlled rotation on a fixed washer 50 secured to the support plate 22. Desirably the arrangement is such that spring washer 48 can be rotated relative to fixed washer 50 against some trio-- tional resistance, but that it is locked in predetermined positions for carrying the set. In addition, the relative rotation between the two washers may be limited, for

a swivel part 60; these two parts being coaxially com-' bined to form a pair of short cylinders of different diameter, in order to provide for the required swiveling of the antenna structure in a vertical plane, and to use a minimum of space in the handle 36 for this purpose. Two antenna rods, when disposed in the handle 36 as' shown, extend side by side parallel to one another but in opposite directions; and for this purpose the two socket and pivot members are installed at the two ends of the housing and in'mutually staggered positions so that one socket is placed adjacent one of the long side walls and the other along the opposite wall. By means of this expedient the housing 36 can be kept very small. Only a pair of short compartments 62, 64, of limited widthand height, is required; one in each end of said structure, to accommodate the parts 53, 60. Each of these compartments contains a socket member and provides for the extension and swiveling of the corresponding rod, by an aperture 64 in the end wall 66 of the upper handle member 42, as clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6., Swiv-, elling of the rods is allowed in vertical planes, parallel to the housing 36; and it is accordingly preferred to form the sockets 58 as discs rotatable in vertical planes and which have their axes and pivots 60 disposed transversely of the housing. I Figures 5 and 6 show additionally how theupper and lower handle portions 40, 42 are held together; for this purpose the lower portion 40 has a boss 68 providing an aperture for a screw 70, in alignment with a 'bossor socket 72 depending from the upper handle member 42. T he'members 40, 42 are combined by inserting the screw, 70 loosely through the aperture in the lower boss 68 and turning it into a tapped recess in the upper boss 72.

Each end portion of the handle comprises, as best shown in Figure 6, a compartment 74 for the purpose of interconnecting the upper member 42 with the carrying. strap '38 while avoiding electrically conductive contact of the interconnecting parts with the antenna structure. For these purposes the compartment 74 is formed in part by a top wall 76 of the handle and in part by a support and guide member 78 fomiing an integral part of the lower handle member 40. A slide ring or rectangular wire clip 80, also shown in Figure 5, forms an end part of the strap 38 and extends into the compartment 74 through an aperture 82 in the top wall 76, see Figure 3. The slide ring is supported above the antenna 32 by an upper edge 84 of the support member 78, see Figure 6. Desirably a tab 86, shown in Figures 3 and 6, is ass'ociated with the wall 76 so as to keep the aperture 82 of the assembled handle relatively narrow and to prevent the transverse end of slide ring 80 from sliding out through said aperture, while leaving the ends 88 of said aperture relatively wide so as to allow easy slidingof the longitudinal side members of the slide ring. Accordingly, as shown in Figure 6, the end part 80 of the flexible carrying strap can slide into and out of the handle and can, in doing so, assume a variety of positions in the compartment 74.

The way in which the compartments 62, 64 cooperate with the slide and swivel members 58' and 60 can best be described in connection with Figures 8, 9a and 9b. In Figure 8 the antennas and their slide and swivel members have been removed from the handle and holder and the upper and lower shells 40, 42 of this structure have been separated. In Figures 9a and 9b, on the other hand, there is shown a portion of the lower shell 40 and of the smaller parts associated therewith, the upper shell 42 being omitted in this case. It will be seen that the swivel member 60 can and normally does rest in a pair of U-shaped supports 90, 02 which are rigidly incorporated in the lower handle member 40 and that a pair of corresponding members 94, 96 depending from the upper handle member 42 are arranged to come to abutting positions on top of the U-members 90, 92, respectively, thereby forming a bearing for the swivel 60 and preventing undue displacement within the handle, when sliding or tilting motions are applied to the antenna 32 and the socket 58. It may further be noted that additional members 98, 100 and 102 are provided on the inside of the handle, for the purpose of supporting and guiding the sliding antenna arms and avoiding interference between the same.

These latter members serve also to maintain proper positioning of certain conductive and insulating parts, as shown in Figures 9a, 9b and 10. Insulation is required since the antenna arms 32, 34 as well as the handle and holder structure 40, :2, described above, are made of metal. As shown in Figure 10, the metallic antenna socket 58 has a pair of metallic trunnions 104, rigidly secured thereto; one of these trunnions forming a center pin for the aforementioned swivel member 60 and the other forming a center pin for a metallic lead wire connecting member or clip 106, engaging the trunnion at 108. The metallic members 58, 108 are electrically connected together by surface contact, whereas the swivel member 60, surrounding the opposite trunnion, is made of insulating material. In addition, a fiat insulating plate 110 separates connector 106, 108 from the adjacent wall of housing 36; this insulator being held to connector member 108 by spring and socket means 110, 112. The antenna wire 52 associated with the antenna arm 32 is suitably soldered or otherwise connected with the member 106 by some suitable joint or terminal, not shown.

The connector member 106 also provides an abutment, which serves to resiliently hold the dipole arm 32, when raised, in an inclined position, as best shown in Figure 9b. In order to prevent inadvertent shorting of the dipole arm against the handle member 40, an additional insulator 116 is provided, desirably in form of a sheet bent to extend laterally of and below the connector 106 the form of which insulator sheet is most clearly shown in Figure and which has a portion 118 underlying the connector 106. As previously mentioned, metal parts 100, etc. on shell 40 serve to locate certain insulator parts; and it will be noted that the insulator member 118 may have a portion 120 matching a part 100 so as to avoid displacement of the insulator within the handle.

The operation of the apparatus can best be described in connection with Figure 7. When the device is not in use, the dipole arms 32, 34 are telescopically collapsed, as shown in full lines. They are then in horizontal position (Figure 9a) and fully inserted in the handle and bolder structure 36 (Figure 7); and this structure may for instance be oriented in a direction parallel with the supporting plate 22.

When the set is to be used, both dipole arms are slidingly removed from their retracted positions, as shown in broken lines in Figure 7, and are raised to inclined positions (Figure 9b). The handle and holder structure is then swiveled horizontally for proper orientation of the antenna. This swivelling is possible as soon as the user has set the instrument down after carrying it, as mentioned above. Swivelling of the handle has to overcome some friction. between spring washers 4S and 50, whereby the antenna is protected from accidental shifting; and the relatively substantial weight of the set 24 serves as a base, immobilizing the antenna, so that the proper orientation of the arms, when once established, is less easily disturbed than it was in many former indoor antenna structures. Two orientations are shown, to illustrate different positions, for reception of signals from difierent stations.

The described adjustment of the antenna structure is most effective, the hand of the user being shielded from the antenna lead wires by the closed, metallic handle and holder casing 40, 42, grounded to set 24 by pivot 44. Thus a single adjusting motion generally suffices for orientation of the present antenna; readjustments, which previously were required in most cases, can be dispensed with.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been described, it should be understood that the details thereof are not to be construed as limitative of the invention, except insofar as is consistent with the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. An antenna handle for a portable television set, comprising a pivot member arranged for horizontal rotation on the set; a horizontally elongated holder secured to said pivot member; a pair of socket members disposed in the holder, separately mounted in end portions thereof for rotational adjustments at least including components in vertical planes; and a telescoping dipole antenna arm associated with each socket member, slidable therein, and insulated from the holder so that the telescoping arms can be collapsed into the holder, extended from end portions of the holder spaced apart by the approximate length of the collapsed arms, and oriented by manually rotating the holder without contacting the arms.

2. A handle as described in claim 1 wherein the pivot member comprises lock means to lock the holder against said horizontal rotation when the set is held by the carrying member, but otherwise resiliently to allow said horizontal rotation.

3. A handle as described in claim 1 wherein the pivot member comprises means for limiting rotation thereof to a predetermined arc.

4. In a portable television set, a combined carrying handle, antenna holder and antenna adjusting means, comprising: a horizontally elongated, metallic housing with a central, vertically depending pivot member; a metallic disc in each end of the housing, the two discs being mounted in mutually staggered positions and each having means for pivoting it in a vertical plane parallel to the housing; a metallic dipole rod associated with each disc and slidable through the same into and out of the housing; and a lead wire connector associated with each disc, in the housing, conductively connected with the respective disc and having means to insulate it from the housing.

5. Apparatus as described in claim 4 wherein said housing comprises a pair of shells jointly forming bearing means for said metallic discs.

6. Apparatus as described in claim 5 wherein said pair of shells comprises a lower shell including said pivot member and also including, at each end, a pair of up standing U-shaped members forming part of said bearing means.

7. Apparatus as described in claim 4 wherein each connector comprises a clip pivotally mounted on and in sliding electrical contact with one side of the respective disc.

8. Apparatus as described in claim 7 wherein each connector additionally comprises means for holding the respective dipole rod in a raised position.

9. Apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the means to insulate the connector from the housing comprises a sheet of insulating material bent to extend laterally of and below the connector and preventing contact between the housing and the means for holding the dipole rod in a raised position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Patino Mar. 5, 1946 Wentworth Mar. 23, 1954 

